


Another Chance

by Lilsi



Category: The Bill
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-20 01:13:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1491256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilsi/pseuds/Lilsi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author of story - Nadine</p>
    </blockquote>





	Another Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Author of story - Nadine

Luke closed his eyes and waited for the onslaught.

 

Craig lost his temper and shouted, "You did what?!"  He regretted raising his voice the minute the words were out.

 

Luke winced as if he'd been punched and said quietly to the floor, "I told him to pull the trigger."

 

"But why Luke?  Was it so bad?  Was everything so black you really wanted to die?" Craig's voice an incredulous whisper.

 

"Kerry had lost the baby.  Until then I thought we might be able to salvage something from the mess - but now we didn't even have a child to keep us together.  She seemed to hate me - and who can blame her?  She threw herself at Smiffy, outed me to the Relief...And I missed you so much!  I'd always known I could turn to you and suddenly you weren't there any more.  And Gina wouldn't tell me where to find you..."

 

"Well at least she told me where to find you now." Craig interjected.

 

Luke persisted, "I finally realised I loved you more than anything else in the world and it was too late....I was already dead inside anyway," Luke murmured, still unable to meet the steady gaze of those warm brown eyes, "I just needed someone to finish the job for me. The poor kid ended up with his hand blown to a pulp...there was so much blood Craig...and all because I was too much of a coward to do it myself."

 

Luke finally looked up at Craig, standing by the window of the grotty bed-sit Gina had found for him, from where he sat on a tatty sofa, a little heap of abject misery.  Those bush-baby eyes looked even bigger now in a face drawn pale and thin by months of loneliness and loss.

 

"That's it, isn't it? Smiffy's right, I am a coward?" he blinked and the tears spilled down his face.

 

"Luke listen..." Craig's face a study of compassion.

 

"No Craig, please...if I wasn't a coward I wouldn't have hurt you the way I did.  I knew I was hurting you and yet I just kept on doing it. Running away after I kissed you, rubbing your nose in it with Kerry.  And my stag night.  I might have been tipsy but I knew what I was doing.  I wanted you to take me to bed more than anything.  And you did...and it was wonderful...". A little, hiccoughing sob escaped from Luke as he trembled, fighting to keep some semblance of control,"...and I chickened out again!  Married Kerry, broke your heart..."

 

"Luke don't, please..." Craig knelt down in front of the wretched boy and took hold of his hands in soft, gentle fingers.

 

"Craig, I need to say this...please!"

 

"Okay, okay," Craig soothed "I'm listening," and he reached up and brushed a stray tear from Luke's cheek.  Momentarily their eyes met before Luke looked away again, a picture of shame.

 

"I'm so sorry Craig...so sorry I was never brave enough to tell you how I really felt, never brave enough to even admit it to myself...until it was too late.  I was falling apart seeing you lying in that bed, battered and broken, saying you were leaving...and it was all my fault!"

 

"Not all you fault Luke.  Gina made me perpetuate the lie."

 

"There you are you see!" Luke looked Craig square in those velvet brown eyes for a moment, saw tears there, saw the traces of the beating still etched in his face, looked down at his feet again. "I couldn't even manage to tell the truth then.  Kept hoping you'd do it for me...I was aching for you to tell Kerry the truth so that I didn't have to...but you went along with Gina and I just left you there.  I knew then just how much I loved you, how much I'd always loved you, and still I walked away..."

 

Craig took Luke's chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted his face. Luke screwed his eyes shut tight. "Luke, sweetheart, look at me."  Luke tried to turn his head but Craig planted a soft, warm kiss on Luke's lips which startled his eyes open.

 

"You said you always knew you could turn to me."

 

"Yes"

 

"Well you can turn to me now."

 

"You still love me?" Luke questioned hoarsely, hardly daring to believe it.

 

"Always have, always will." Craig whispered, a catch in his voice as his brimming eyes began to overflow.

 

"And I love you Craig," Luke sobbed, "I love you so much!" as he crumpled forward against Craig's chest.  The big, warm-hearted Welshman enveloped his beloved boy in his arms and rocked him like a baby.

 

As Luke's sobs subsided he murmured into Craig's chest, " I can't believe you're giving me another chance." 

 

"Chance has got nothing to do with it," Craig's voice was melted chocolate, his lips nuzzling in Luke's hair, "This time we're going to make it work - just you and me."

 

                                                                                                   Nadine  7/10/2003


End file.
